Chinese border city taking no chances as it shuts down over one mild Covid-19 case
- Coastal city of Dongxing, on the frontier with Vietnam, announces immediate limits on people’s movement as infection is found via routine test
- Some previous outbreaks near China’s borders have been blamed on people arriving from neighbouring countries
Police in hazmat suits in Dongxing, on the coast in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Tuesday began blocking all inbound and outbound traffic except medical deliveries, while buses, taxis and shuttles inside the city were suspended, the local government said. It came after an infection was reported on Monday night.
China has pursued a zero-Covid strategy under which it tries to stamp out infections whenever they occur through limits on movement and daily mass testing. This “whack-a-mole” approach has minimised the spread of cases, but local outbreaks have continued to emerge.
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Effective from 8am on Wednesday, Dongxing “will impose isolation at home, and the end of the measure will depend on the epidemic situation”, a notice said, adding that “schools and other vocational institutions will close and public transport will be suspended”.
